Jurassic Park: Emily Grant 2
by sototallysingle
Summary: The saga of Emily Grant continues to Isle Sorna on the quest to find the Kirby's son.
1. The Dinosaur Man

**The Dinosaur Man**

It's been five years since our time at Jurassic Park. Dad and Ellie got married and now I have a little brother and little sister. It took a while but a few months after our little adventure my relationship with my dad took a turn for the better and we are closer than ever. I am following in my parents' footsteps and am on my way to becoming an anthropologist and a paleontologist.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Charlie is playing with his dinosaurs. He roars as he makes them fight each other.

"Actually, Charlie, those are herbivores. They wouldn't be interested in fighting with each other." Alan shows the boy a couple other dinosaurs, "But these ones here are carnivores, and they really like fighting with each other. They use their teeth and claws to rip each other's throats out."

"Alan, he's three. Let's wait till he's five." Ellie says as she walks up with the baby on her hip. Alan looks at his son.

"Oh, right. Sorry, Charlie."

"Ellie, it's Tom again. He has to talk to you about the last chapter." Ellie's assistant comes out.

"Just tell him I'm not gonna lose the Jack Horner quote." She turns back to Alan, "My editor thinks he's a paleontologist." They both look up when someone walks through the gate. It's Emily and her friend Mark.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Mark and I pull up outside my parents' house.

"Thanks for agreeing to come to dinner," I say grabbing his arm. "My parents really like you."

"No problem, Em," He says taking my hand and squeezing. "I really like your parents." He nudges me and we get out of the car. He opens the gate and dad and Ellie look our way.

"Hey, Em. Hey, babe, look who's here." Ellie walks up to me talking in her baby voice and hands me my sister, stopping briefly with a peck on my cheek. My little brother runs up with one of his toy dinosaurs.

"Emmy, Emmy, this is a herbivore and dad's the dinosaur man," he says to me excitedly as I bend down so he can show me the toy.

"Dinosaur man?" Mark asks with a playful expression on his face. Charlie looks up at him and beams before rushing back over to the sandbox. I stand up and turn to my parents.

"Ellie, dad you remember Mark, my friend from school." I say a little shyly. He is starting to become more than just a friend.

"Nice to see you again." Dad says as he shakes his hand. Mark just smiles and returns the gesture.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

We all find ourselves in the dining room enjoying dinner. My brother and sister are both in bed.

"So, you know Mark's dad works for the State Department." I say nervously. I don't know what's wrong with me.

"Yeah. What does your dad do, Mark?" Dad asks incredulously. Ellie gives him a look.

"International relations, mostly treaty law and things like that." Mark says without missing a beat. Suddenly we are interrupted by my little sister.

"Uh-oh. Call of the wild one." Ellie says getting up. "I'll get her. You two…catch up."

"I'll come with you." Mark offers giving me a smile. "You and your dad need some time alone," he whispers in my ear.

"Thanks Mark." I say as he follows after her.

"He's a great guy." Dad says after a beat. I turn to look at him and see that he is sincere.

"I think so too." After a brief pause, I go on. "So, what are you working on now?"

"Raptors, mostly."

"My favorite." I say sarcastically.

"Do you remember the sounds they made?" I shiver as I remember.

"I try not to." He gives me a knowing glance.

"Em, all our theories about raptor intelligence, what they were capable of-we weren't even close." Now, I'm interested.

"Tell me."

"Well, we did cranium scans of a fossil skull. We found what looks like a very sophisticated resonating chamber." He looks at me while he waits for this information to sink in.

"Wait a second." I say putting my hand up to stop him. "So you were right? I mean, they had the ability to vocalize?"

"I'm convinced that's the key to their social intelligence."

"Which explains why they could work together as a team."

"And coordinate their attacks so the prey wouldn't know what was going on."

"They could talk to each other." The realization intrigues me and frightens me at the same time.

"To a degree we never imagined. Em, they were smart. They were smarter than dolphins or whales. They were smarter than primates." I let this settle in as I just stare at my dad. My mind flashes back to the visitor center. I knew it had to be more than coincidence that they were able to surround us so easily.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

I find myself walking Mark to his car. I am on my way to the dig in Montana for my work study and dad has a lecture, so Mark and I are parting ways.

"I just want to say, if you ever need help with anything-sometimes you forget to ask." He looks down to the ground and smiles shyly. "So you can call me. Anything, anytime. The same goes for your family." He says this as he grabs my hand.

"Sure." I reply shyly. He bends down and gives me a peck on the cheek. I wave as he drives away. I turn back to my parents. They are having their own goodbyes.

"You're still the best. I mean that," I hear Ellie say.

"The last of my breed." They kiss goodbye. Dad gets in the car as I walk up to Ellie.

"You should bring Mark around more often. He really is a great guy." I flush with embarrassment.

"Did you and dad plan this tag team effort?" She chuckles and waves away my accusation.

"I'm just saying try not to let this one go."

"Okay mother," I say dramatically.

"I push because I care."

"I left his number on the fridge. If you need anything done around the house while we are gone, he said he would love to come help out." Ellie eyes me suspiciously.

"Well, that's awfully sweet of him." Dad honks the horn and we turn to look. He points at his watch. Ellie turns back to me, "You better get going. I love you, babe."

"I love you too." We hug quickly and I hop in the car. We wave as dad backs out.

"What took you so long?" he inquires after a few moments.

"Girl talk," is all I say. He scoffs and turns his attention to the road.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Alan is standing in an auditorium giving a lecture.

"Through the painstaking study of the anterior chamber in multiple specimens, we can determine the exciting correlation between the upper palate and the larynx. This lets us theorize, theorize, mind you that the raptor was capable of sophisticated vocalizations which would have been a tremendous evolutionary advantage." Alan watches as people begin to get up and walk out. He is a little disheartened by this.

"Raptors were fierce, intelligent and socially sophisticated. They were able to hunt in numbers and coordinate their efforts. Were it not for the cataclysmic events which overtook them, it is entirely possible that raptors rather than humans would have become the dominant species on this planet. I hope this has been of interest. It certainly excites us as paleontologists. There's much, much more to discover. That is why we continue to need and ask for your support." He pauses waiting for a reaction. "Thank you." The hostess starts clapping and people feebly follow.

"Thank you very much, Dr. Grant. Now, does anyone have a question?" Several hands automatically rise into the air. Alan grabs the mic before responding.

"Fine. Does anyone have a question that does not relate to Jurassic Park?" Some of the hands go down. "Or the incident in San Diego which I did not witness?" Almost all the hands go down but a couple. "Yes, sir?"

"Your theory on raptors is good and all, but isn't all this conjecture kind of moot? I mean, once the U.N. and Costa Rica and every one decides how to handle that second island, scientists will just go in and look for themselves." Alan looks at him indignantly.

"Dinosaurs lived 65 million years ago. What is left of them is fossilized in the rocks. And it is in the rocks that real scientists make real discoveries. Now, what John Hammond and Ingen did at Jurassic Park is create genetically engineered theme park monsters, nothing more and nothing less." A young girl stands up to ask a question.

"Are you saying that you wouldn't want to get onto Isla Sorna and study them, if you had the chance?" Alan smiles slightly.

"No force on Earth or heaven could get me on that island."

EGEGEGEGEGEG

I watch as Billy flirts with one of the girls at the site.

"Billy, I don't think I'm doing this right." The girl states.

"Let's try the toothbrush. You got to go slowly. Just take a little bit at a time." He models while staring at her. I just roll my eyes.

"I can never tell what's rock and what's bone."

"Technically, it's all rock. The calcium in the bones is replaced during fossilization." I say like the answer is obvious. Billy glares at me and I glare back. He turns to the girl.

"But you can feel the difference. See? Rough…smooth. Rough, smooth." He says taking her hand in his and they feel together. I hear a car door slam and see me dad.

"Dad." Billy's head flies up at this.

"Dr. Grant." We both quickly drop what we are doing.

"Emily, Mr. Brennan." He yells down to us. We both make our way up to him.

"Flirtatious much, Mr. Brennan," I whisper in his ear.

"Jealous much, Miss Grant," he whispers back. I give his arm a stiff punch. We both laugh. We have developed a sibling type of relationship since he began working for my dad.

"So, how'd it go?" I ask.

"Well, it's not too late to change your major." Dad answers looking at me and Billy.

"Not good, huh?" Billy surmises.

"Worse, we're gonna have to pack up in four weeks."

"Three. I had to rent equipment. Come here, I gotta show you something. You like computers, right." Billy motions towards a tent.

"Dad likes the abacus, Billy." I joke. Dad nudges me in the ribs. We enter the tent to see a massive computer.

"Meet the future of paleontology. It's a rapid prototyper. I enter in the scan data from the raptor's skull. The computer breaks it down into thousands of slices. Then this thing sculpts it, one layer at a time. It's done." He pulls out the wooden resemblance of the resonating chamber. "I give you the resonating chamber of a Velociraptor. Listen to this." I listen as Billy blows. The sound sending shivers down my spine as I my mind flashes back once again.

"Wow. This is brilliant, guys. Really, it is. Sad to say, it's just a little bit late." At that moment a man comes into the tent.

"Dr. Grant? Paul Kirby, Kirby Enterprises." He reaches out his hand and shakes dad's hand offering a business card. "Hey Billy," Mr. Kirby says. I give the man a once over before casting a sideways glance at Billy. He doesn't meet my gaze.


	2. The Kirby's Offer

**The Kirby's Offer**

I turn my attention back to the man. I keep Billy in my line of vision as dad walks up to the man.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Kirby?" Dad asks after shaking his hand.

"Well, um, first thing, I'm a great admirer of yours, and I have a proposition I'd like to discuss with the both of you." He gestures to me as he says this. Dad looks at me and I shrug my shoulders. "Would you have dinner with my wife and me this evening? It'll be our treat." I look at dad trying to convey that I don't like the idea.

"Well, that'd be great, but I'm tired. We've been traveling." He says pointing to me. "Maybe some other time."

"Believe me, this will be worth your while."

"We'd love to." Billy answers for us. I turn and glare at him.

"Oh, terrific. That's the spirit. Good. This evening then." Mr. Kirby walks away. I give Billy a quick jab to the stomach. He spreads his arms with a 'what did I do' expression on his face. Dad shakes his head and walks out of the tent. I turn to Billy.

"What was that all about?" I question immediately.

"He came by last week looking for you and your dad. I might have mentioned when you would be here."

"Do you know what they want?" He just shrugs his shoulders. "Well, you're just a wealth of information." He sticks his tongue out at me. "Very mature, Mr. Brennan."

EGEGEGEGEGEG

We walk into the bar and greet a few familiar faces as we make our way back to the Kirby's.

"Oh, Billy. Dr. Grant. Emily." Mr. Kirby stands up to greet us.

"How are you?" I ask.

"Amanda, Billy and Emily." We take turns greeting her.

"Mrs. Kirby, how are you?" Dad asks politely. We join them in the booth.

"So what are you guys drinking?" Mr. Kirby asks.

"Ice Pick, Catfish." Dad directs to the waitress.

"Two, please, Cat." Billy answers.

"Water for me, Cat." I'm really not a big drinker.

"Well, we've admired your work for years." Mr. Kirby starts out directing this at my dad.

"Really truly inspiring." Mrs. Kirby finishes.

"Amanda and I just love the outdoors. Heck, we've been on just about every adventure tour they can come up with. The Nile, Galapagos, K2."

"We even have two seats reserved on the first commercial flight to the moon." Their enthusiasm and story seem a little forced to me. I keep this to myself, though.

"And for our wedding anniversary this year we wanted to do something special. Something…" Mr. Kirby searches for the words.

"Once in a lifetime." Amanda finishes.

"So…I've chartered an airplane to fly us over Isla Sorna and we'd like you to be our guide." Paul directs this to me and dad. Before we can comment Cat walks up and hands us our drinks.

"There you go, guys."

"That's a very kind offer, Mr. Kirby, but I'm a very, very busy man. We're very busy." He says including me into his explanation. "I can recommend a couple of guys who are really highly qualified that…"

"No, no, no." Paul cuts him off. "You're the best. You've both seen these animals in the flesh. There's no one that even comes close to you."

"You wouldn't be able to fly low enough to see anything of any real interest." I say. That island is a no-fly zone.

"Well, see? That's the interesting part because we have permission to fly low." Amanda comments.

"How low?" Billy asks.

"I'm no aviation expert, but a heck of a lot lower than anybody else, I can tell you." Paul admits.

"From what I understand, it's pretty much…It's whatever we want." I can hardly believe Amanda's words.

"That's hard to believe." Dad voices my thoughts.

"You see, through my business dealings-import, export, emerging markets-I've made a lot of friends in high places. In this case, the Costa Rican government."

"Dr. Grant, you have no idea how important it is to us that you both come along. It would make all the difference." I can only think that things will not turn out good if we go along.

"Mrs. Kirby, I-I…" I try saying before I am interrupted by Paul.

"And, of course, we'd love to make a contribution to your research here. So I could write all kinds of numbers on this check, Dr. Grant. Tell me what's it gonna take?" Dad looks from Billy to me. I just shrug my shoulders. We really need the money.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

The next day finds my dad, Billy, and me on a small plane with Paul and Amanda and a couple other people. I watch as Billy packs away his camera equipment.

"Even with what I pay you, couldn't you afford a better bag?" Dad asks. I take a closer look at it and realize it looks pretty beat up.

"No way. This one's lucky. A couple years ago, some buddies and I went hang gliding off these cliffs in New Zealand and this big updraft came and swept me right against the side, wham!" He smacks his fist to his palm to make the noise.

"Wow, that does sound lucky." I say sarcastically.

"This strap alone saved my life. Got hooked on a rock as I was falling."

"Reverse Darwinism: survival of the most idiotic." Dad replies and I laugh.

"Alan, I want to thank you for bringing me along." Billy voices after a couple moments.

"Yeah, well, the bones will still be there when we get back. That's the great thing about bones: They never run away. The truth is, you got us into this, and I have no intention of us being on our own with these people." Dad whispers and Billy smiles. "Don't get too excited, Billy. Chances are we won't see a thing." He turns to me. "Your turn to be nice. Wake me when we get there." Dad lays back and puts his hat over his eyes. I turn around to the guy behind us.

"So, how do you know the Kirbys?"

"Uh, through our church." I turn to Billy and cock my eyebrow. He didn't sound very convincing.

"Hey Em," Billy leans over to me after a few minutes, "do you want to talk about it now?" I turn to look at him wondering what he means. I light bulb goes off and I know he means Jurassic Park.

"What do you want to know?" Billy has read our book so he knows a little bit about what happened.

"From your experience, do you really think the Raptors could talk to each other?" he questions looking at me intently. My mind flashes back to the kitchen in the visitor's center.

"We had taken refuge in the kitchen, Lex, Timmy, and I. They had figured out how to open doors." Billy's eyes widen in shock at this confession. "Anyway, two of them entered the kitchen. We could hear them chattering to each other. One jumped up on the counter and sniffed the air while the other started walking down the aisles."

"Like they had planned on which one would do what?" he questions excitedly.

"Exactly," I say before thinking of the lobby incident. "We were chased in to the lobby. There were only three Raptors on the whole island. They were scattered throughout the lobby but were able to quickly surround our little group. If the T-Rex hadn't come in when it did, then I probably wouldn't be sitting here now."

"How did you hurt your knee?" I stare at him in shock. I never told him I hurt my knee.

"How do you know I hurt my knee?"

"Sometimes, after you have been on your knees for too long, you favor your left leg a little bit." He says this nonchalantly.

"Ever the observant one, Mr. Brennan," I say coolly and he laughs. "That happened after I jumped off a fence and landed badly on the ground fifteen feet down."

"Why would you want to jump off a fence from that high up in the first place?" he questions me incredulously.

"The warning alarm was blaring and dad was yelling and I didn't want to get electrocuted by 10,000 volts when the electricity turned back on." I try to laugh it off but it doesn't sound very convincing.

"Who didn't jump off the fence in time?" he probes gently.

"Timmy," I whisper. "He was too scared to jump. He let go of my hand when I jumped. It's a miracle dad was able to revive him."

"That's not something you get over quickly," he states more than questions.

"I had nightmares for a few months after we returned home."

"Mr. Kirby," we hear the pilot call out, "the island is up ahead." I look out the front window seeing it in the distance. I turn to my sleeping dad and nudge his shoulder.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Alan is asleep. He wakes up and looks around the plane. It looks completely deserted. He sits up suddenly and looks around. He gasps as he sees a Raptor sitting next to him.

"Dad." The Raptor says in Emily's voice. Alan looks at it completely stunned.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

"Dad. Wake up." I shake his shoulder again. He jolts awake gasping. I laugh as I say, "We're almost there." He sits up and we look out the window and watch the island come into view.


	3. Unhappy Landings and the Spinosaurus

**Unhappy Landings and the Spinosaurus**

"Unidentified aircraft approaching Isla Sorna, this is San Juan Approach. You're flying in restricted airspace. Immediately turn to coordinates two…" The radio is switched off by the copilot.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

I look out the window of the plane and see the dinosaurs.

"My God, I'd forgotten." Dad says. I just give him a knowing glance and look at Billy. He looks like a little kid in a candy store.

"We did it, honey. We're here." I notice that Paul's tone is less of excitement and more of relief.

"Cooper, if you see anything, yell up." Udesky yells from up front.

"No, I thought I'd keep it to myself." I realize that they didn't come here to look at dinosaurs. They are looking for something else.

"I'm sorry. Everyone, if you lout out the left of the plane, you can see a whole herd of brachiosaurs. In fact, you can see in the front of the group, the alpha male grazing there." Dad goes on like nothing seems out of the ordinary.

"Udesky, Nash, how 'bout up front? You guys see anything?" Paul asks.

"Nothing yet, Mr. Kirby." My suspicions are proven right. They are looking for something specific.

"What do you mean-Mrs. Kirby, look. Out there you'll see a group of triceratops…" Dad is interrupted by the one named Nash.

"Mr. Kirby, we have a landing strip up ahead. You want me to put it down?" This definitely catches dad's attention to what is going on.

"No, no. I told you, I want to circle first see the whole island." Paul stresses.

"What do you mean set it down? You can't land here. What are you talking about?" Dad stands up demanding.

"Hold on. Hold on. I can explain." Paul tries to calm the situation.

"You cannot land on this island." I emphasize.

"It's gonna be fine. You just don't understand." Amanda says.

"Are you crazy?" We both ask at the same time.

"Sit down, please." Paul says. Out of the corner of my eye I see Cooper stand up. I automatically back down. I pull dad's arm but he resists.

"Dr. Grant, will you please sit down?" I watch as Cooper comes up behind him and gives him a knock on the head. Dad falls unconscious. I glare at Cooper and Paul. I sit down and fasten my seatbelt waiting for us to land on this God forsaken island.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Billy and I sit in the plane waiting for dad to come around. I look out the window and see the men unloading huge weapons.

"I hate being lied to," I snarl through clenched teeth.

"They definitely did not come here to do just a fly over. I think they are looking for someone." I nod my head in agreement when I hear a groan and see dad coming around.

"Emily, tell me we didn't land." He states incredulously.

"_Eric? Eric? Ben? Eric?"_ We hear Amanda using a megaphone.

"I think they're looking for someone." Billy states. We help dad up and head to the stairs. Paul turns to us.

"Oh, Dr. Grant, are you all right? I'm sorry we had to be so…" Dad interrupts him.

"Who hit me? Who hit me?"

"That would be Cooper." Paul says pointing to Cooper running into the bushes.

"What are they doing?" I ask.

"They're making up a perimeter to make this place safe. These guys are good." I give dad a glance. This place is far from being safe.

"On this island, there is no such thing as safe. We have to get back on that plane." Dad presses.

"Eric!" I look to Amanda and cringe. She is attracting all sorts of attention our way.

"Will you tell your wife to stop making that noise? That is a very, very bad idea." I tell him.

"Amanda!" Paul yells.

"Ben?" She keeps yelling.

"Amanda? Honey? Emily said that's a bad idea."

"What?" She turns and yells again.

"She says it's a bad idea!"

"What's a bad idea?" Her answer comes in the roar of a dinosaur.

"What was that?" Paul asks. We all look to the trees as another roar sounds.

"That's a tyrannosaurus." Billy says. I shake my head. I remember what that sounds like. This definitely sounds bigger.

"I don't think so. It sounds bigger." Dad says. We hear another roar and some gunshots. Udesky comes sprinting out of the trees.

"We have to leave! We have to leave now!" He yells.

"What's going on?" Paul asks. We hear another roar and more gunshots. We all run towards the plane.

"Get on the plane!" Udesky yells.

"What about the other guy?" Dad asks as he climbs up.

"Cooper's a professional. He can handle himself." A few more gunshots are heard. "Get in the plane! Hurry!" I sit down and strap in as the plane starts to take off.

"It's all right." Paul assures Amanda.

"Paul, we can't…" she starts but Paul puts a hand on her arm.

"It's all right. We'll just circle the island." I look out the front window and see Cooper come out of the trees. He starts waving for us to stop. The plane just goes faster.

"What are you doing?" I yell at the pilot.

"That's Cooper." Dad points out. Right before we get to him, a dinosaur comes running out of the trees. Nash pulls up on the stick.

"Oh, my God!" He yells as we make impact. Alarms start going off.

"Fuel cut off!" Udesky yells.

"We're going down!" Nash yells. Dad reaches across and takes my hand. I ready myself for impact. We start diving towards the trees. A wing gets ripped off and we are jolted to one side. The other wing is ripped off and we are jolted again. Finally the plane comes to a stop.

"You okay?" I hear Paul ask Amanda. I look over at dad and he gives my hand a squeeze. We are okay.

"We're okay up here." Udesky calls back. "Everyone just stay put. San Juan Approach, Mayday!" He starts calling for help.

"Who has the satellite phone?" Nash asks.

"I do. I got it right here." Paul says as he goes to his bag.

"I'm not getting anything. The radio's gone." I hear Udesky say. Dad goes over to the door and tries to open it. He gets it open a little. He closes the door and turns back to us.

"We haven't landed yet." All the sudden the plane lurches. We cling on to anything to stay standing.

"What was that?" Paul asks. Suddenly Amanda starts screaming. "Keep still! Keep still!" She screams again. "What? What is it? What?" She stops screaming as the plane starts to move forward.

"What is it?" Udesky asks. Amanda loses her balance and falls to the floor of the plane. Billy and Paul immediately grab her hands to keep her from sliding towards the cockpit.

"Hold it!" My eyes widen in shock as the cockpit of the plane is ripped away. "Hang on, everyone!" Udesky and Nash both try to get further in the plane as the dinosaur reaches in and grabs Nash's leg. "No! No! Help me!" We watch in shock as the dinosaur pulls him out of the plane. The dinosaur's head comes back up. Finally, Paul and Billy pull Amanda to her feet.

We all run to the back of the plane. The shift in weight makes the plane teeter backwards. We try to hold on as the plane falls to the ground. The tail crunches as we hit the ground. The plane tips forward and we all fall to the floor. It starts rolling and I just throw my hands up to cover my face as we roll. I find myself sitting in a seat after the plane stops rolling. Amanda takes one look at the dinosaur and starts running.

"Mrs. Kirby, come back!" Dad yells as he goes after her.

"Amanda!" Paul starts out. He takes one look at the dinosaur and runs back into the wreckage. Dad finally drags Amanda back into the plane. The animal starts pressing down on the top of the plane. I make sure that none of my limbs can be trapped by the seats. A lesson learned from the last time. The windows start breaking and I burry my face in my arms. I can feel the glass shards bouncing off the sleeves of my shirt.

Everything goes still for a moment before the nose of the animal breaks through the side separating us from our exit and my dad. One by one we jump across the seats to get to the other side and freedom.

"Follow me!" Dad yells as we run to some dense trees. "This way!" He changes directions. The quick change in direction causes my knee to flare angrily. I look back and see the dinosaur getting closer and I push myself to run through the pain. "In here!" We run through some trees and the dinosaur can't go any farther. We run a little ways more before stopping. "I think we lost him." Dad says trying to catch his breath. I bend over and massage the tension out of my knee. The pain slowly dissipates. In the back of my mind, I wish I had brought my brace. Dad turns and pulls some grass away. We are confronted with the carcass of an animal.


	4. Duel of the Dinosaurs and the Lost Boy

**Duel of the Dinosaurs and the Lost Boys**

"It's okay, it's dead." Dad says. Suddenly a tyrannosaurus raises his head. "Nobody move a muscle." I stand perfectly still. The others dash off in the other direction. I look at my dad and we both start sprinting with the T-Rex right behind us. We catch up to the others just as the other dinosaur comes out of the trees.

We watch as the two dinosaurs have it out with each other. Billy and I find refuge behind a tree. We slowly start making our way back towards the plane. I look back to see the T-Rex fall dead. Dad comes feet from being crushed. We all sprint off.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

After we are clear, dad goes up to Paul and punches him. Shocked, Paul falls back against a tree.

"No, no, no. Please, please don't. Stop, p-please." Amanda begs as she stands between the two. Dad massages his knuckles.

"It's time you did some explaining, Mr. Kirby." Paul and Amanda look at each other. Paul stands up and takes out his wallet. He shows a picture of their son.

"We called everyone. We did everything we could. No one would help us. The Costa Rican government said this is a no-fly zone. The U.S. Embassy, that's our U.S. Embassy, told us we should accept the inevitable. Can you believe that?"

"You let a 12-year-old go parasailing alone?" I ask.

"No!" Paul replies hotly.

"He wasn't alone. He was with a friend of mine." Amanda states.

"Ben Hildebrand." Paul says with venom in his voice.

"Paul and I divorced over a year ago."

"Alright, so why us?" I ask.

"He said we needed someone who'd been on the island before." Paul replies while pointing at Udesky.

"Yes, but I did not tell you to kidnap somebody."

"We have never been on this island." Dad says.

"Sure you have. You wrote that book." Paul says referring to the book dad and I wrote together after our experience at Jurassic Park.

"That was Isla Nublar. This is Isla Sorna, sight 'B.'" Billy says with anger in his voice.

"You mean there are two islands with dinosaurs?" Udesky asks me. I shake my head yes.

"You stay out of this!" Paul demands.

"So how long have they been missing?" Dad asks.

"Eight weeks." Paul replies.

"Almost eight weeks now." Amanda restates. Eight weeks is a long time for someone to survive on an island with dinosaurs. We hardly lasted two days at Jurassic Park. There is no way this boy is still alive.

"Emily, Billy. We go back to the plane and salvage what we can, then we make for the coast." I give dad a look but start back towards the plane.

"Dr. Grant, we're not leaving this island without our son." Paul says.

"Then you can go and look for him or you can stick with us as long as you don't hold us up. Either way you probably won't get off this island alive." I watch their reaction to this news. Dad puts his arm around my shoulders and we walk back towards the plane. A few moments later we hear the others following us.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

I search through the rubble and find my bag. There are some rips in it but everything seems to be there. I pull out my mirror and get a look at my face and hair. I made it through with a minor cut over my right eye close to the scar already there and a scratch on my left cheek. My hair is a mess. I take my brush and untangle my hair and put it in pigtails. I grab my hat, fling my bag on my shoulder, and make my way to dad and Billy.

"How would you classify it, Billy?" I hear dad ask as I walk up. Billy is taking pictures of the footprints.

"Well, it's a superpredator." He says.

"Mm-hmm."

"Suchimimus. Snout." He replies while using his hand to gesture for snout.

"No, think bigger." Dad says.

"Baryonyx?" He guesses.

"Not with that sail."

"Spinosaurus Aegypticus." I say as I finally reach them. Dad looks up at me and smiles.

"I don't remember that on Ingen's list." Billy says as dad hands him a claw from the dinosaur.

"That's because it wasn't on their list and that makes me wonder what else they were up to." We look up to see Paul struggling to get his backpack on. There is no way this man has climbed K2. I look at the others and they seem to have the same suspicions.

"So, Mr. Kirby tell me, when you climbed K2, did you base camp at 25 or 30,000 feet?" Billy asks. Paul thinks for a minute. He looks up and to the left. He is definitely coming up with an answer on the spot.

"Thirty thousand feet. We were pretty close to the top." He uses his index finger to motion for the top of the mountain.

"You were about a thousand feet above it, actually." I say.

"No, no, that's a common mistake." Paul starts getting defensive.

"Mr. Kirby. There's no such thing as Kirby Enterprises, is there?" Dad asks.

"It's Kirby Paint and Tile Plus. The plus stands for bathroom fixtures. We're in the Westgate Shopping Center, Enid, Oklahoma." I feel like punching this man right now.

"So I don't suppose that check you wrote us is any good." I say.

"I will pay you, no matter what." Paul tries to defend himself.

"This is good. This is good. Here we are in the worse place in the world, and we're not even being paid." Dad says as he puts his bag on his shoulder and starts walking.

"Now, wait. Hold on. I'll make this up to you. If you ever do a bathroom or a kitchen…"

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Billy and I find ourselves behind Udesky and Paul.

"You're not really a mercenary, are you?" Paul asks him.

"I never said I was."

"That's true. What are you?" Paul asks.

"Well, I'm like a booking agent. One of the guys got sick and couldn't come." They stop as Paul is struggling with his bag. We walk by. "Excuse me. Here. So you run a hardware store?" Udesky asks.

"Paint and tile. Yeah."

"Hmm. You never can tell about people, can you?" They start walking again.

"Ain't that the truth?"

"Having a sense of deja-vu?" Billy asks a few minutes later. I glance over at him before answering.

"None whatsoever," I reply honestly. "Last time, people knew we were there and we had easy access to a phone. The one satellite phone we had with us here was eaten by that massive dinosaur."

EGEGEGEGEGEG

I find myself walking next to dad again.

"Eric?" Amanda calls.

"Quiet." I snap back. This woman is just begging for us to be caught by some dangerous dinosaur.

"Would you stop that? Dr. Grant says this is very dangerous territory." Paul tries to talk to her.

"Look, maybe we should split up or something. We could cover twice as much ground." I just roll my eyes. This woman is not thinking clearly at all. She has no idea the danger we are in. Of course, I cringe as I think how Ellie will react when she finds out where we are.

"Emily says that's a bad idea." Paul says.

"'Dr. Grant says, Emily says…'" Amanda replies imitating Paul.

"What's the good of hiring experts if we're not gonna use their advice?" That is the first intelligent thing Paul has said so far.

"Yeah, except the Grants aren't looking for Eric. They're looking for the coast."

"Okay, fine. Go ahead and scream. Then when that tricycloplots attacks you, don't come crying to me." I stifle a laugh. That is the funniest name for a dinosaur I have ever heard.

"Don't worry about that." I hear Amanda mutter under her breath.

"What?" Paul questions.

"Nothing. Never mind." Amanda says irritated.

"What did you say?" Paul asks again. Udesky and Billy make their way to my side.

"If we split up, I'm going with you guys." Udesky says as we continue to listen to the Kirby's bickering. I think to myself that we will be lucky to get off this island alive.

"It's no wonder why that got a divorce," Billy whispers in my ear. I glance over at them and smile slightly.

"I've only known her a couple hours and I want to divorce her," I whisper back. We let out a hearty laugh that has Paul and Amanda looking at us suspiciously. We just ignore their glances and continue on our way.


	5. He's Alive, the Nest, and Raptors

**He's Alive, the Nest, and Raptors**

I spot a flash of orange in the trees up ahead. I put my hand on dad's arm and he stops to look at me.

"Does that look like a parachute to you?" I question pointing at the orange fabric.

"It certainly does to me," he says before turning to the others. "Mr. and Mrs. Kirby over here," he calls and they see the parachute. They sprint off towards it and we follow closely behind.

"Eric!" Paul calls.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kirby." Dad interjects.

"Eric!" Amanda continues.

"Mrs. Kirby! Mrs. Kirby, the chances are remote they're still in the vicinity." Paul finds a life jacket in the brush.

"Young adult." He says as Amanda hugs it tightly. I look around and find a camera.

"Hey, guys." I call. They come running over.

"That's my camera." Amanda says as she takes it out of my hands. "Wait. The battery's dead."

"I got an idea. Let me have the camera." Udesky says as he unscrews his flashlight.

"_Where were you on that one, Ma?"_ I turn my attention to the screen and watch with the others.

"_Okay, dive, dive." Ben says._

"_Okay, diving."_

I look over at dad and Billy.

"_Come on, Ma! You were supposed to catch it."_

"I shot this the morning they disappeared." Amanda sounds lost and distant.

"_No, I want that. Let me take that. Come on, give me that."_

"_See anything yet?"_

"_No, not yet."_

"_What was that?"_

"_Unclip us. There's a big clip."_

"_I can't see. I can't do it."_

"_I'm gonna unhook you, all right? One, two, three. You okay, buddy? I'm gonna drop myself down now."_

"_The camera's still on."_

The screen goes black. Dad, Billy, and I walk over to the parachute.

"He's alive. I know he's alive. We're gonna find him." Paul says. I look over as he puts a comforting arm on Amanda's shoulders.

"Can you fly one of those?" Dad asks Billy.

"Maybe, as long as the sail's not torn."

"Well, let's take it. If we spot a plane, it might be a good way to get attention." Dad and Billy start pulling.

"Pull it over this way." A branch snaps and the Ben's remains come flying down. Amanda gets tangled in the cords and starts screaming.

"I'll get it. I'll get it. Okay, okay." Amanda continues to struggle as Paul tries to help. Finally she gets free. "Okay, okay, you're free." Amanda takes off running.

"Get her back, Mr. Kirby." Dad directs.

"Amanda! Wait! Amanda, wait!" Paul calls as he runs after her. I watch as dad, Billy, and Udesky extract Ben's remains from the backpack. Billy and I get the parachute out of the tree and spread it out. Thankfully there are no tears in the sail. Billy smiles as we fold it so he can roll it up and place it back in the bag.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Amanda continues to run through the brush.

"Amanda? Amanda." Paul finally catches up to her and brings her into a hug. "Amanda, stop, stop, stop. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about Ben."

"It's not Ben, Paul. It's Eric. He's out there all by himself."

"I know, I know."

"Our baby's out here all by himself."

"Listen to me. We'll find him. I promise." Amanda looks around and notices a nest of eggs.

"Paul." She whispers as he turns around and sees it too.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Billy and I are folding up the parachute when we hear Paul call.

"Dr. Grant! You should come look at this!" I look to Billy and he nods his head. The rest of us run off toward the Kirbys. We come into the clearing and Amanda points. I look around at several different nests of eggs.

"Raptor!" Dad says after a moment. He turns to me. Without speaking a word we start fast walking away.

"We're gonna find him. You listening to me? We're gonna find him. The kid's got resources. Remember what it was like to try to ground him?" Paul is reassuring Amanda. Dad stops and I look at him.

"Where's Billy?" I shrug my shoulders. Dad starts walking back to the nest. I quickly follow. We haven't gone far when he walks out. "What are you doing?" Dad asks as Billy puts away his camera bag.

"I was photographing the nest."

"Don't do that again." I say.

"I'm sorry."

"If we lose you, it's just us and the damn tourists." I laugh at Billy's reaction to that.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

After walking for what seemed like hours, we walk through an opening and see a compound.

"I bet you Eric's in there. Don't you think? I'd bet my bottom dollar." Paul and Amanda start walking faster.

"What do you think it is?" I hear Billy ask Udesky.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's the Four Seasons." The grounds are littered with vehicles with scratch marks and windows broken out. I take one look at dad and know he's thinking the same thing.

"Raptors," I whisper and he nods in agreement.

We enter the compound.

"Eric!"

"Paul, don't!" Amanda scolds him. Paul stares at something on the counter and we all look. There sits a telephone. Amanda goes up to it. "What the hell?" She picks up the phone and then places it down on the counter. We get further in and find vending machines.

"Who's got some change? It only takes quarters." Paul reaches in his pocket. "I got, like-I got a buck ten." Billy takes a step back and then kicks the glass in. He grabs an assortment of things and hands them out. He hands me a Milky Way and smiles. Of course he would remember they are my favorite. We all head still further in the compound.

We enter the main lab. There are broken incubators everywhere and egg shells litter the floor. It reminds of the smaller lab at Jurassic Park. This one is definitely more massive and high tech.

"This is how you make dinosaurs?" Amanda asks.

"No. This is how you play God." I respond. I follow Amanda as she walks by all the specimen tubes. We come to the last one that has the head of a Raptor in it. She leans in closer to look and I follow. Suddenly, the eye moves. Amanda grabs my arm and pulls me back. The Raptor lunges at us. We scream and back further away.

Dad pulls my arm and Paul grabs Amanda and we start running away. We come to a fork in the passageways.

"This way! This way!" Paul calls out and we follow. Running up to a gate, Paul tries to open it.

"It's locked!" He cries. We turn to run back the way we came but the Raptor is standing there.

"This way! This way!" Udesky yells.

"Go! Go!" I yell to Billy and Amanda. As soon as we get inside one of the cages, the Raptor pushes against the door. We get trapped between the door and the side of the cage

"Hey! Over here! Hey! Over here!" Udesky, Paul, and dad try in vain to attract its attention. The Raptor looks up and sees the gap at the top. It starts to climb.

"Push!" Amanda yells as its feet leave the ground. We push and trap the Raptor the way we were. We start heading for the exit. Dad and I pause as we hear the Raptor caw.

"My God. He's calling for help." Dad says flabbergasted.

"Come on! Come on!" I yell pulling at his arm. He relents and follows me out the door. I hear the Raptor calling to the others as we make our way into the trees. I come out the other side of the trees and see a herd of dinosaur.

"Head to the herd!" Dad cries. I head into the herd dodging the dinosaurs that are spooked by us. I try to keep my eyes on dad and Billy's whereabouts. "Head for the trees!" I hear dad cry again. I find myself behind the Kirbys. We come to some trees and I find a tree to climb. It's amazing that trees have become a running them in my adventures on these islands. Once we are safely away from the Raptors we hear a cry of pain.

"Udesky," Paul says.

"Emily?" I hear Billy call out.

"Billy?" I question in reply. He appears a few trees down.

"Is Alan with you?" My heart stops in that second. I shake my head no. A million thoughts start racing through my head.

"Oh my God," I hear Amanda mutter. I look to where she is and see Udesky lying face down on the ground.

"Mr. Udesky. Mr. Udesky?" She calls.

"He's dead." Billy surmises. At that moment, Udesky moves his arm.

"Oh, my God, no, he's not!" Amanda moves to go help him. I try to stop her.

"No, wait! Something's not right." I say.

"We gotta help him." Paul says as he follows her. Billy and I look at each other before following. A few branches down and Amanda loses her grip and falls catching herself on the bottom branch. "Amanda! Hold on!" She screams as two raptors come up and start snapping at her neck. We finally get down to her.

"They set a trap. They actually set a trap." I say in amazement.


	6. Grant's Rescuer

**Grant's Rescuer and Family Reunions**

Alan finds himself hiding behind a fallen tree. He is looking at a couple of Raptors that seem to be communicating.

"What are you saying? What are you looking for?" He ponders. They seem to be sniffing the air. One of them starts calling out.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

We are all recovering from the trap set by the Raptors. A call comes through the air. The others hear it and one of the Raptors breaks Udesky's neck before running off. Amanda gasps and leans in to Paul.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Alan looks away from the Raptors and sits for a second. He gets back up and looks but both are gone. Suddenly one jumps up on the tree. Alan takes a few steps back. He turns to run but quickly finds himself surrounded by them. He looks around with despair on his face. His thoughts immediately jump to his family. Suddenly, gas grenades are thrown into the circle.

Alan puts his handkerchief over is mouth and nose. The Raptors start running away. Someone comes through the smoke and grabs ahold of Alan and leads him away. He gets pulled along for a minute before his hand is released.

"Wait!" He calls as his rescuer gets ahead of him. Finally, they reach a water truck and get inside. "Thanks. Thanks a lot, Eric." Alan says as soon as he catches his breath.

"You know who I am?" Eric asks with a look of shock on his face.

"Yeah. Your parents are here. They're looking for you." Alan says as he coughs.

"Together?"

"Together."

"That's not good. They don't do so well together." Eric says with disappointment in his voice.

"You'd be surprised what people can do when they have to." Eric takes a good look and realization crosses his features.

"You're Alan Grant." Alan nods his head. "What are you doing here?"

"Your parents, uh, invited me along."

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Alan is eating uncooked beans from a can. Eric sits in the corner and eats a candy bar.

"I read both of your books. I like the first one more. Before you were on the island. You liked dinosaurs back then."

"Back then they hadn't tried to eat me yet."

"When Ingen cleared out, they left a lot of stuff behind." Alan looks around and inspects what is there.

"Any weapons?" Alan asks hopefully.

"No. And I just used the last of the gas grenades."

"And I appreciate that." Alan picks up a jar with a liquid inside.

"Be careful with that. T-Rex. It scares the smaller ones, but attracts one really big one with a fin." Alan quirks his eyebrow.

"This is T-Rex pee? How'd you get it?"

"You don't wanna know. Dessert?" He asks throwing Alan a candy bar.

"Sure." Alan says as he catches it. Eric notices that the lantern is going out. He picks up a new one and replaces them. "Eric, I have to tell you, I'm astonished that you've lasted eight weeks on this island."

"Is that all it's been?"

"You're alive, and that's the important thing. And thanks to you, that's one thing we have in common." After a brief moment, Alan asks, "Did you read Malcolm's book?"

"Yeah."

"So?"

"I-I don't know. I mean, it was kind of preachy. And too much chaos. Everything's chaos. It seemed like the guy was kind of high on himself." Alan smiles at Eric's description.

"Well, that's two things that we have in common."

"Did my parents invite Emily along as well?" Eric inquires shyly. Alan gives him a knowing look.

"Sorry Eric but my daughter is already spoken for. You'll get to meet her soon enough though," Alan comments.

Eric's mood brightens at this and Alan chuckles. They are quiet for a moment and chirping and squawking can be heard. Eric's attention is peaked.

"Listen. Compys!" He jumps up quickly and closes the opening to the water truck.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Billy and I are walking tree to tree. The trees are close enough that moving between them is quick and easy. We cover quite a bit of land.

"Alan!" Billy cries in one direction.

"Dad! Dad!" I cry in the other. With a defeated sigh I head back to the tree with the Kirbys and sit down on a branch just above them. I lean back against the tree and try to think positively. Billy sits down next to me and puts a hand on my knee. We listen to the Kirby's conversation.

"No matter how this turns out, it wasn't your fault. Eric's always been a strong-will kid. Always. Then you throw someone like Ben Hildebrand into the mix-Well…" Paul starts but doesn't finish.

"'Well' what?" Amanda pushes.

"All I'm say-It's not your fault."

"No, if he'd been with you, he'd be completely safe. You drive five miles under the speed limit, Paul. And I've totaled three cars in three years."

"Well, not three. The Buick wasn't really totaled. I just said it was 'cause I wanted to get the S.U.V." I try and stifle a laugh at this.

"I am so sorry that you have to be here." Amanda admits.

"I'm not." I can tell from his answer that Paul not only means looking for Eric but spending alone time with Amanda.

"Alan's going to be okay," Billy says. I turn to look at him.

"Who better to survive an island filled with dinosaurs than the Dinosaur Man," I say whimsically.

"Dinosaur Man?" Billy questions with a slight chuckle.

"That's what Charlie called him the other day when I was home. I guess dad was explaining the difference between the herbivores and carnivores." I smile slightly at the thought of my little brother. Billy scoots closer and puts an arm around my shoulders. Before I realize it, I am falling asleep on Billy's shoulder.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Eric opens the door to the water truck. Alan is putting a few things in his backpack. Eric climbs out and Alan follows. They head off into the trees.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Billy climbs down the tree to the ground. He looks around and then signals. The Kirbys and I make our way out of the trees.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Alan is looking through binoculars. He sees a boat in the river along the bank.

"Yeah, there's a boat right alongside the bank. Looks in good shape." He hands the binoculars to Eric.

"Rescue boat?" He asks hopefully.

"No, no. Just something left behind. But if floats." They start walking again.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Billy is drinking from the stream when I walk up next to him.

"We stick to the plan. Head to the coast." I say as soon as we are all gathered.

"You're not gonna look for you dad?" Paul asks. I shake my head.

"Going to the coast was dad's idea. If he's alive, that's where he's headed."

"I agree." Paul and Billy say at the same time.

"What about Eric?" Amanda asks.

"Eric's a smart kid. He probably knows he stands his best chance by the coast. He figures all the big dinosaurs are in the center of the island. Right?" He asks turning to me.

"Sure." I reply unconvincingly. In reality, the closer you get to water the bigger things get.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Eric brings out a Raptor claw.

"Know what this is?" He asks Alan.

"That's a Raptor claw. Used to have one. A fossil."

"Mine is new."

"How much of the island did you explore?"

"I stayed pretty close to the compound. I figured if anyone came looking for me, that's where they'd start."

"We need to get to the coast. That was the plan." Alan says. He knows that's where Emily will head. He knows she wouldn't risk the lives of the others to try and find him. He knows she'll stick to the plan.

"Are you sure? Closer you get to the water, the bigger things get."

"Well, if we can find our way down into the canyon, we could follow the river out to the coast. After we find your parents and my daughter." Alan adds this as an afterthought.

"And then what?" Eric questions.

"One step at a time."

"Listen." Eric puts his hand out to stop Alan.

"What?" A faint ringing can be heard.

"That's my dad's satellite phone!" Eric takes off running toward the sound.

"Wait a minute! How do you know?" Alan calls after him.

"Kirby Paint and Tile Plus, in Westgate! Dad! Mom! Mom! Dad!" He yells as he runs.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

I pause as I hear something on the wind. The others stop as well.

"Mom! Dad!" I hear faintly.

"Eric!"

"Eric!" Both Paul and Amanda call out.

"Eric! This way! Eric! Eric!" Paul calls as he starts running. Billy and I look at each other before we all start after him.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

"Mom! Dad!" Eric continues to call as he runs.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

We break through a clearing. There is a big fence but Eric can be seen running on the other side.

"Eric!"

"Mom!"

"Eric!"

"Mom! Dad! Mom! Dad!"

"Eric!" I am so focused on the Kirby family reunion I don't notice my dad right behind him until we are almost to the fence.

"Dad!" I cry out as I pick up my pace.

"I knew it! My God! I knew it!" I hear Paul say as they all hug.

"Am I glad to see you." I say to my dad as he hugs me close.

"Hey, you got my bag." Billy points out after he and dad shake hands.

"Yeah. Lucky strap." Dad looks up at the fence.

"Want me to carry it?" Dad totally ignores Billy's question.

"We need to find a gap here."

"How did you know we were here?" Paul asks Eric.

"The phone. That stupid jingle form the store, I heard it."

"My phone?" Paul questions.

"Yeah, your satellite phone."

"Where is it?" Amanda asks.

"I don't have it."

"When did you use it last?" I ask.

"Uh, uh, on the plane. I got a call on the plane, and…" He pauses.

"What? What?" Amanda begs.

"I loaned it to Nash. He must've had it when he…" Paul is cut short as the phone rings again. We all look up to see the Spinosaur looking back at us.

"Run." Dad says out of the corner of his mouth. We all start sprinting. Dad and Eric come to a hole in the fence and dive through it. We all pause and look back. For a split second I think we are safe but then the Spinosaur breaks through the gate. We take off towards a large building. We get through the doors and Billy, Paul, and dad rush to secure all the locks. The Spinosaur bangs on the door for a few seconds before giving up.

"I was so worried about you," dad says as he pulls me in to a tighter hug.

"I was worried about you too," I mumble in to his shirt. I glance over at the Kirbys and notice that Eric is staring at me. "Dad?" I question.

"Yeah Em," he says with his arms still around me.

"Why is Eric staring at me?" Dad chuckles before leaning down to whisper in my ear.

"I think he likes you." We both laugh at this.


	7. The Best Intentions

**The Best Intentions, the Birdcage, and Billy's Gamble**

"Alan, you wanna give me the bag back?" Billy asks dad as I watch Eric stare at me out of the corner of my eye.

"That's okay, Billy. I got it."

"Please give me the bag. It's not safe." I turn to look at dad. He unzips the bag and looks inside.

"Raptor eggs, did you steal Raptor eggs?" The devastated look on Billy's face is answer enough. "Now it all makes sense."

"I swear if I'd known that you were gonna end up with them-I took them on an impulse. I thought they'd be worth a fortune, enough to fund the dig site another ten more years." Dad and I both shake our heads at his brashness. "Look, you have to believe me. This was a stupid decision, but I did it with the best intentions."

"With the best intentions, some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions." Billy's face shows the hurt felt with those words. "Billy, as far as I'm concerned, you're no better than the people that built this place."

"Dad, that's going a little too far." I whisper in his ear. He just disregards me. He takes the bag and walks over to the broken window. He holds the bag over the river far below. After thinking for a moment he pulls his arm in.

"What are you doing? Those things are after us because of those." Paul demands.

"'Those things' know we have the eggs. Dad drops them in the river they'll still be after us." I say.

"What if they catch us with them?" Paul asks.

"What if they catch us without them?" Dad says with a smirk. He starts heading down the stairs. "There's a boat at the bottom, just downriver. We can try and make it to the coast, at least." I look at Billy. He has a lost and hurt expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," he mutters without looking at me.

"After everything I told you about them, you still took the eggs. I can't believe you." He just stares off in the distance. I grab his arm and drag him down the stairs.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Dad pauses at a landing where a walkway goes across to the other side of the canyon. He continues down. He comes to a stair and it breaks away under his weight. Paul catches him.

"You okay?" Paul asks after hauling dad up.

"Yeah," dad goes back to the walkway. He takes one step and the whole thing squeaks. "Let's do this one at a time, shall we?" We all stand on egg shells as dad slowly makes his way across the bridge. A minute later we hear him call out.

"Okay, come on over! One at a time!" Billy and I move back so the others can decide who goes next. Amanda turns to Eric.

"All right, Eric, I'm gonna leave you just for a minute, okay? Then you're gonna be right behind me, okay?"

"Mom, I've been alone in a water truck for eight weeks. I think I can manage the next two minutes without you." Paul and I chuckle at his response. Amanda looks at Paul with a look of fondness.

"All right, we're all together now." She smiles and then turns and walks.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Alan walks a ways along the walkway trying to look through the dense fog. He hears rocks falls but sees nothing.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

We stand in silence and I can feel Billy seething beside me. I know he feels terrible about taking the eggs, but it's going to take a while to forgive him for his negligence. Eric turns to look at us.

"You're Emily, right?" he asks looking at me.

"Yeah, this is my friend Billy." I nudge Billy and he sticks his hand out for Eric to shake.

"So, you two aren't dating?" I stifle a laugh and Paul's eyes widen in shock.

"Eric!" he reprimands. Eric just shrugs his shoulders.

"It's okay Mr. Kirby. No, Eric, we are not dating. There is this guy I like though." Before anyone can comment we hear Amanda call out.

"Okay, Eric!" Paul turns to Eric.

"Okay. Over you go."

"Come on, honey." Eric gives us one last look before making his way across. We watch as he disappears into the fog.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Eric walks along the bridge. He keeps one hand on the railing. He feels the rail shake and hears a thump in the distance.

"Mom?" he questions skeptically.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Alan finds some dried animal droppings. He picks it up and sniffs it. Amanda watches him.

"Oh, my God," he exclaims before dropping what's in his hands.

"What is it?" Alan turns to Amanda.

"It's a birdcage," he states as he looks up and finally sees the cage.

"For what?" Amanda questions as Alan just looks at her.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Eric stands still as he tries to see through the fog. Suddenly a large bird is standing in front of him. He screams and turns to run. He gets a few steps before the bird picks him up.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

We hear Eric scream and take off down the bridge.

"Eric!" Paul shouts.

"Eric. Eric!" We hear Amanda calling from the other side. We stop as we spot Eric in the clutches of the pterodactyl.

"Help me!" he pleads before he is out of sight.

"Eric! Eric." Paul calls as he runs back the way we came. Amanda is right on his heels.

"I can't see him! I can't see him!" She cries out as they try to catch a glimpse of him. Dad and I look at each other while Billy sprints off ahead of us. We follow close behind.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Eric grunts and groans in pain as the pterodactyl flies near a group of high cliffs. He sees the nest of baby pterodactyls.

"No, no!" he cries as the giant bird drops him in the nest.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

We make it to the landing that Billy has stopped on. I freeze as I watch him connect the straps of the parachute. He gives us a look.

"Billy? Billy?" I call out to him as he makes his way to the side.

"Billy, stop. Billy, stop!" dad calls as we try to reach him. Billy looks at me and I know he's going to do it.

"Don't, Billy!" I plead once more but he jumps anyway. "Billy!" Dad and I watch as he pulls the cord the chute deploys. Dad grabs my arm and drags me after the Kirbys.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Eric swats and kicks at the little birds attacking him. They rip his coat off. He jumps from one rock to the next until he reaches a dead end. The birds attack him again.

"Eric, hold on!" he hears Billy call and turns to see him soaring past with the parachute.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Dad and I catch up to the Kirbys. The whole time I make sure to keep Billy in my periphery.

"Eric!" Amanda calls as Paul comes to a sudden stop. We all stop before colliding and see the gap in the walkway. We turn back and head the other way.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Eric fends off the last of the birds as Billy flies by again.

"Jump," Billy calls and Eric races to the other side of the rocks and jumps. He grabs onto Billy as a couple of the birds fall off the rocks.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Eric clings on to Billy for dear life. He looks over his shoulder and sees the pterodactyls flying after them.

"Billy!" he cries as Billy looks over his shoulder. One of the birds rips two holes in the chute.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

I see a pterodactyl out of the corner of my eye. It flies overhead before landing on the caged walkway above us. One of the rails breaks free and it falls onto the walkway. Dad kicks at it as we turn back around and run the other direction.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Billy and Eric are losing altitude fast and the pterodactyls start trying to nip at them.

"Let go now!" Billy commands and Eric lets go. He falls into the water below.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

We find ourselves back at the gap in the walkway. We turn around as the pterodactyl approaches us. The weight on the walkway is too much and it falls away from its supports. We fall to the water. As I hit the water, pain shoots through my leg. I struggle to break the surface trying to kick with one leg. After a few more futile attempts, I feel a strong arm wrap around my waist and pull me to the surface. Breaking the surface I take a few deep breaths. I turn to see that Paul is helping me along.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Billy tries to control his flight but the rips in the chute make it impossible. He slams into the rocks as the chute catches. He is stuck dangling from the rocks with the pterodactyls swarming him.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

"It's okay. I got you," Paul says as he keeps his arm around my waist until our feet are firmly set on solid ground and keep our heads above water.

"Thanks," I mumble. Putting a little weight on my left leg pain immediately flashes up my leg. My knee is definitely dislocated again.

"Eric?" Amanda calls looking around. I spot him out of the corner of my eye.

"He's there," I direct pointing in his direction.

"Eric?" Amanda calls as she makes her way over to him.

"There he is! He's across the river!" Eric yells to us and points. I follow his arm and see Billy struggling to free himself from the rocks.

"Get him outta here!" Paul calls as he and dad head that way.

"Go, Eric," I hear Amanda pleading.

"No, no. What about Billy?" Eric tries to struggle but gives in.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

I watch as Billy unclasps the belts and he falls to the water. The pterodactyls immediately swarm around him.

"Hang on, Billy! Billy!" dad calls as he tries to make his way over to him.

"Wait," I say as Paul puts a hand on his arm pulling him back. I watch in horror as the pterodactyls begin to attack Billy.

"Get away. Get away!" he calls as he loses his balance and falls in the water. They peck at him all the way down the stream. One of them turns its head to look at us. Dad grabs me by the waist and begins to pull me through the water. I can't take my eyes off the last place I saw Billy.

"Emily," my dad says in my ear. I snap my attention back to him. He pulls me down under the cage barrier as the pterodactyl squawks at us. Paul comes up next to us and together he and dad help into the boat. I look back at the cage as a tear makes its way down my cheek. I was never able to tell Billy that I forgave him.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Dad and I sit at the front of the boat. My foot rests on the side of the boat as dad gently lifts up my pant leg.

"It looks worse than the last time," dad muses as we look at it. I just nod my head as I take off my top shirt. Rolling up a sleeve I stuff it my mouth.

"Emily, Dr. Grant?" we look up as Eric comes over to us.

"Hey, Eric, how you doing?" dad questions as Eric takes a seat next to me.

"Okay," he mumbles. "Is there anything I can do?" He motions to my current situation. In reply I offer him my hand. "Don't be afraid to squeeze," he offers and I nod my head before looking back at my dad.

"Ready?" my dad questions. I give him a nod. The pain is ten times worse than the first time. My mouth clamps down on the sleeve and my hand squeezes Eric's. I'm sure if I didn't have the sleeve in my mouth my scream would attract any dinosaur within a mile radius.

"Emily?" Eric questions after a few moments. I quickly release his hand and open my eyes.

"Sorry," I mumble after spitting out the sleeve and wiping the tears from my eyes.

"It's okay. Does it feel any better?" Eric questions in a sweetly concerned voice.

"Not really," I reply honestly. Dad reaches in his bag and pulls out a couple of his handkerchiefs. He ties them together and soaks them through with water. He carefully ties them around my knee.

"How about now?" he asks me when he is finished. In reply I sigh in relief. There's a moment of silence before Eric speaks up.

"I'm sorry about Billy." I reach over and squeeze his hand. He smiles at me sadly.

"You know what the last thing I said to him was?" Eric shakes his head and I avert my gaze to the water. "I said, 'You're as bad as the people that built this place.' Which wasn't true, Billy was just young. That's all." He shifts his position so he is facing Eric before continuing.

"I have a theory that there are two kinds of boys. There are those that want to be astronomers, and those that want to be astronauts. The astronomer, or the paleontologist, gets to-gets to study these amazing things from a place of complete safety."

"But then you never get to go into space." Eric finishes and dad smiles at him.

"Exactly, that's the difference between imagining and seeing: to be able to touch them. And that's…that's all that Billy wanted."

"Dr. Grant," he says pointing to something behind dad. We turn to see dinosaurs grazing near and drinking the water.

"Know something, Dr. Grant? Billy was right." We all take a moment to watch the more peaceful side to the dinosaurs.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

The sun set an hour ago. The pain in my leg is no longer sharp but a constant throb. I can feel the tightness of the muscles and know that I will not have much fun walking.

"Stupid islands with stupid dinosaurs," I mutter under my breath and I hear Eric chuckle. I can't resist the urge and we both start laughing. We are cut off when Paul cuts the engine.

"Listen!" he calls. We all hold our breaths as we finally hear it. The satellite phone is ringing. We pass a clearing along the side of the river and see big piles of dinosaur droppings.

"Find it before it stops ringing!" dad calls.

"Eric, you stay on that boat," Paul calls over his shoulder as they jump out and head for the bank. I stand up, testing my knee, and slowly limp over to Eric. I put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's here. Wait. Whoa-whoa, it's here." Paul comments as he tries to find the right pile. Each of them chooses a pile and begins to dig in.

"I got it," Amanda calls and the other two rush over. She pulls it out and dad grabs it.

"Hello? Hello!" dad calls but pulls the phone away so the others can hear.

"_You too can own a time-share in beautiful Guadalajara. Enjoy a meal in one of our four-star restaurants…" _Eric and I both see a dinosaur come through to the clearing.

"Look out!" Eric calls to the others. They look up at the dinosaur but remain still. It takes a few sniffs and then walks away. Eric and I chuckle as the others sniff themselves.


	8. A Call for Help

**A Call for Help, a Father's Courage, and Call of the Raptor**

It's pouring down rain as we slowly drift down the river. The others are looking at the phone as Eric and I sit at the front of the boat.

"You know, Eric, I'm surprised you lasted eight weeks out here alone," I tell him. He smiles shyly.

"Your dad said the same thing," he replies proudly.

"It's not an easy task, escaping an island filled with dangerous animals."

"Turn off the power. You've probably got juice for maybe one call. Whatever you do, don't call the U.S. Embassy. They won't do a damn thing." I hear Paul explain to dad. Eric nudges me on the shoulder and points to the water.

"What do you think that is?" he questions as we see fish darting quickly.

"I don't know," I respond and Eric turns to the others.

"Hey, guys! Come here! Look at this!" They run up and he points to the water.

"Bonitos," dad explains like we know what they are.

"Something must have spooked them," I reason and dad nods his head. He turns to Paul.

"Get the engine going, Mr. Kirby," dad directs as he turns the phone on and starts dialing. The Kirbys head to the back.

"Open the throttle," Paul directs as he tries to get the engine started.

"Pick up, pick up." Dad repeats as the phone rings. I hover over his shoulder.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Charlie is in the kitchen when he hears the phone ring. He goes and answers it.

"Hello?"

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Alan barely hears the voice answer the phone. Paul is still trying to start the engine.

"Ellie?" dad yells questioningly into the phone.

"_Hello?"_ The voice says again. Alan recognizes the voice.

"Charlie! Charlie!"

"_Hello?" _Charlie repeats with more recognition.

"Charlie, take the phone to Mommy now."

EGEGEGEGEGEG

"_Take the phone to Mommy. It's Daddy."_ Charlie hears his dad's request.

"Okay," he replies as he heads for the door.

"_Listen to me, Charlie."_ Charlie doesn't hear this as he heads for the door.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Paul is still struggling to get the engine started.

"Charlie, are you taking the phone to Mom?" dad asks pleadingly. He turns to look at me with concern on his face. "Charlie!" The boat lurches forward and dad and I both fall forward. Dad drops the phone and the connection is ended.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Charlie goes to the door but finds it locked. He looks outside to see Ellie talking to someone.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

The Spinosaur pops up out of the water. Dad picks me up and pulls me into the cage on the boat. The others scurry in and Paul closes the door.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

"_Oh ho-ho. Hi, everybody!"_ Charlie hears Barney over the television. He runs to the room and starts watching, phone still in hand.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

We are all tossed about as the Spinosaur noses the cage. Dad keeps an arm around my waist to keep from tossing too much but it's still enough to send pain shooting through my leg. The Kirbys are all clinging to each other.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

"_It's great to be here! Hi, there! How are you today?"_ Charlie has forgotten all about the phone and is now intently watching the show.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

The Spinosaur latches onto the sides of the cage and begin to pull.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

"_This is gonna be great!"_ Charlie hears the door open and remembers the phone. He sees that it's still on and rushes to find his mom.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

The Spinosaur pulls the cage loose and the boat begins to sway viciously. The phone slides up and down the side of the boat.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Charlie finds Ellie and she sees he has the phone.

"Who's on the phone?" she questions.

"It's the dinosaur man," Charlie states happily.

"He is?" Ellie comments placating Charlie before taking the phone. "Alan?"

EGEGEGEGEGEG

"Look in the boxes! Find a weapon!" dad yells as we continue to be pulled by the Spinosaur.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Ellie hears a dial tone and hits redial.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

The phone starts ringing while we are searching for a weapon.

"Where's the phone?" dad cries out.

"There!" I point as I see it sliding around.

"Get the phone!" he calls out. I stick my arm out of the cage and miss it the first time. Luckily it comes back and I grab it.

"Mom, mom, listen to me," I plead as loud as I can. I know calling her mom will get her attention and let her know I am serious.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Ellie struggles to understand the voice on the other end.

"Emily, are you on a cell phone? I can't hear you." Ellie replies with concern and desperation in her voice.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

The cage is pulled into the river and I know I am running out of time.

"Call Mark! The river! Site 'B'! The river!" I cry out hoping she understands. The water rushes over my head and the phone slips from my hand.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Ellie hears Emily's pleas and then the line goes dead.

"Hello?" Ellie probes as she hopes for some kind of reply. There is none and Ellie's heart drops. She looks at Charlie who starts roaring like a dinosaur. Ellie dashes to the refrigerator and grabs Mark's number.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Paul makes it out of the cage before it lands at the bottom. He swims away as the others are trapped.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

The cage finally nestles at the bottom of the river. I use the side as leverage to force myself to the surface. The Spinosaur reaches an arm into the opening of the cage and tries to grab at us. I force myself underwater as I hear Amanda scream. The arm retracts and I come up for air. Again it sticks its arm inside and I duck back under the water.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Paul makes his way to a crane sitting in the water. He climbs to the top and gets his footing.

"Hey! Hey-y-y!" he calls trying to attract the attention of the Spinosaur.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

The Spinosaur is distracted and we make our way out of the cage. I slowly dog paddle to a depth where I can stand. I turn to see Paul on the crane. My dad's head breaks the surface.

"Hey!" I hear Paul call out as he tries to keep the dinosaur's attention. I watch as dad checks a flare gun for ammo. He then fires a flare at the dinosaur. It bounces off the thick hide but lights the fuel in the water on fire. He helps me to shore and we turn back. The dinosaur walks off but not before bumping the crane and sending Paul into the water with the rig crashing down on top of him.

"Dad! Dad!" Eric cries out as he tries to run into the water. Amanda pulls him back.

"Paul!" she calls out on her own.

"Dad!" Eric cries out again. Dad and I watch the heart breaking scene taking place in front of us. I put an arm around my dad's waist and he pulls me close.

"Paul, you jerk! You can't leave me like this!" Amanda calls out with emotion thick in her voice.

"I'm not going anywhere," Paul says and we all turn our heads in his direction. Amanda immediately rushes to him with Eric right on her heels.

"Dad!" Eric cries in relief as the little family has their reunion. I can't help but think about Billy at this moment wishing we could have a miracle like the Kirbys.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Dad and I give the Kirbys some alone time. Dad paces as I lean against a log and close my eyes.

"Remember when we went fishing a couple summers ago? I was putting the boat in the water, and the trailer sank? The tow truck tried to pull us out, and it got dragged in too. The truck driver wanted to knock my lights out." I chuckle softly as I try to picture the scene in my mind of Paul getting decked. "I miss fishing."

Dad sits down next to me and I lean my head on his shoulder.

"I hope Ellie understood what I was telling her," I wonder aloud.

"I hope so too, Em. I hope so too," he admits. "You should try to get some rest." I close my eyes and it seems like a few minutes later dad is shaking me awake. He offers me a hand and pulls me to my feet.

"Mr. Kirby?" he calls to get his attention. They stand up. Eric makes his way over to me and offers a shoulder to support myself on. I smile gratefully as he helps me limp along.

"That guy you told your mom to call," Eric probes after a moment.

"Hmm?" I question as I concentrate on not tripping.

"Who is he? How do you know that he can help us?" I pause for second and look at him before answering.

"He is someone I have come to count on. He was one of the few people who have actually wanted to get to know the real me not the girl who encountered dinosaurs. He has come to mean a lot to me. Although I don't think I've told him that yet." I reply truthfully.

"You should," he replies. I smile at his naivety as we continue to walk. We all walk in a slow silence before dad puts his hand up to stop us.

"Shh. You hear that?" We all struggle to listen. Eric pipes up first.

"The ocean!" he exclaims as he rushes forward taking his steadying shoulder with him. Dad notices and comes to my aid. We don't get far before several Raptors jump out and block our paths. We all huddle together as dad puts his arm in front of me. I feel Eric beside me and I grab onto his arm.

"They want the eggs otherwise we'd be dead already." Dad whispers to us. The female of the group comes to stand in front of us as the others crowd around us.

"Everybody get down. She's challenging us." We all sink to our knees and bow our heads. I hiss in pain as the movement causes a sharp pain to shoot through me leg. The female goes up to Amanda and begins to sniff her.

"She thinks you stole the eggs," I whisper to her. Paul moves forward.

"Get behind me," he doesn't get far as the female snorts in his face. He quickly backs up.

"Give me the eggs," Amanda says in a strong and controlled voice. Dad opens the camera bag and the other Raptors start cawing at the scent of the eggs. He pulls the eggs out and hands them to her.

"Do it, Mom," Eric encourages. Amanda gently puts the eggs on the ground and pushes them forward. I watch as dad takes out the resonating chamber prototype. He begins to blow in it. The other Raptors caw at each other in confusion.

"No! No, no, no. Call for help," I direct him. He changes the tone of the call. Another noise rises above the rest and the Raptors raise their heads as they listen. Slowly the female takes one of the eggs and rushes off. A male takes the other as the Raptors quickly retreat and we remain still as we listen to the new sound.

"That's a helicopter," Paul finally realizes. They get up and start running toward the sound. I try to stand but the muscles in my leg stop functioning and dad barely catches me before I crash back to the ground.

"Mr. Kirby," my dad calls out. They turn around to look at us. "A little help," dad requests as he points at me. I just shrug my shoulders. Paul comes over and together he and my dad put my arms around their shoulders as I use them as a crutch. We slowly make our way toward the origin of the sound.


	9. Going Home

**Going Home**

Slowly but surely we make our way toward the sound of the helicopters. Breaking through the tree line, we find a lone man standing on the beach with a bull horn.

"Dr. Grant? Dr. Alan Grant?" the man asks. We all cringe inwardly at him.

"Stop!" Paul cries as he runs to the man.

"That's a very bad idea!" he and Amanda proclaim at the same time. They stop in their tracks as aquatic vehicles storm the beach and the Marines start piling out. In the distance we can see naval ships on the horizon. Eric turns to me.

"Wow. You have to thank him now. He sent the navy and the marines!" I smile at Eric as I watch him take off toward his parents.

"I think I might be falling in love with him," I mumble to myself. My dad turns and gives me a look. I just shrug my shoulders. He smiles as a couple Marines walk up to us. Before I can protest, one of the men grabs me and bridal carries me to the waiting helicopter.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

The soldier carefully places me in the seat next to Eric. Dad climbs in and the man from the beach comes up to him.

"Dr. Grant is this man with you?" he asks trying to talk over the noise.

"What?" The man points to the back of the helicopter. Dad and I look to see Billy lying on a stretcher. I smile as a happy tear slides down my cheek.

"Hey, you made it," I hear him whisper to dad.

"Yeah," dad replies.

"I rescued your hat," he says while giving it back to dad.

"Dr. Grant, we need to go now." Dad turns back to Billy.

"Oh, yeah. Well, that's the important thing." I snort and roll my eyes. Dad pats Billy's arm.

"Dr. Grant! Can I get you to sit here and buckle up, sir?" Dad sits in the seat next to me and buckles up. He reaches over and gives my hand a squeeze. I rest my head on his shoulder and quickly succumb to my exhaustion.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

"What the hell is that?" I am jolted awake by the pilot's exclamation. We all look out the open door of the helicopter.

"Dr. Grant, look!" Eric calls directing our attention. A few pterodactyls fly by. "Where do you think they're going?"

"I don't know. Maybe just looking for new nesting grounds, it's a whole new world for them." Dad replies and Amanda's face becomes indignant.

"I dare 'em to nest in Enid, Oklahoma." She proclaims sternly. I laugh as Eric smiles.

"Let's go home," Paul says taking Amanda's hand. Eric smiles goofily at his newly reconciled parents.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Upon arriving on the cruiser, we are quickly whisked away to get our injuries attended to. The end result is five stitches to a gash above my eye from the plane incident.

"Now, Miss Grant your knee is a different matter completely. It seems you have aggravated an old injury." The doctor points to the scans they did on my knee.

"I figured as much. I was sixteen and ironically it happened on an island with dinosaurs chasing me." I reply with deadpan. The doctor shakes his head.

"For now, I can give you a shot for the pain, a brace for support, and crutches to get around with. Once we are back on the mainland you will have to schedule an appointment with a specialist."

"How loopy is this pain shot going to make me?" I question hoping not to embarrass myself.

"You won't go loopy," the doctor replies while laughing. "You know your friend Mark must really care about you." I glare at him and he smirks. "Why don't you sit tight while I go get what you need?" He quickly retreats. A moment after he leaves knuckles rapping on my door gets my attention.

"So, what's the verdict?" dad asks.

"A few stitches," I point to the bandage on my head. "Not so lucky with the leg. It looks like another trip to the specialist. The doctor just went to get me a pain shot, a brace, and crutches. How's Billy?" Dad takes a breath before replying.

"He's going to be fine. No permanent damage. They are giving him blood." He stops offering no further explanation because one is not needed. "When you're ready, they are setting up a video chat with Ellie." My mood brightens at this. The doctor returns with an orderly.

I close my eyes and hold dad's hand as the doctor sticks the big needle in my leg. After a few moments I can feel the muscles begin to relax as the pain begins to fade. Carefully they put the brace on and hand me the crutches. The captain enters a few seconds later.

"Dr. Grant, we have the video chat set up. If you and your daughter will follow me, then I will take you to the conference room."

EGEGEGEGEG

Dad and I sit anxiously as we wait for the call to go through. I have covertly hidden the bandage on my head with my hat. Suddenly, Ellie, Megan, and Charlie's faces flash up on the big screen. Megan squeals and places her hand on the screen. Ellie's composure crumples and tears fall freely from her eyes. Charlie starts the conversation.

"Emmy, guess what? Mommy got me a new dinosaur!" he exclaims excitedly as he raises it for us to see.

"That's so cool Charlie. I can't wait until I get to play with you." Charlie smiles as dad speaks.

"You know Charlie, that's one of my favorite dinosaurs." His grin gets even bigger as he clutches it to his chest.

"Emmy, what happen to your leg?" he questions with concern in his eyes.

"Sissy jumped into the water from real high," I explain dramatically using my arms to represent the height. His eyes get real big. "But you promise sissy you'll never do that okay." He nods his head emphatically. "Good boy."

"When you come home?" he questions.

"Soon, buddy, really soon," dad answers. "You be good for your mom okay." Charlie nods his head as Ellie lets him down and he leaves the screen.

"God, Em. That phone call scared the hell out of me." Ellie says this while covering Megan's ears.

"That was kind of the point," I reply.

"I'm just glad you both are okay." She smiles at us for a moment before looking at dad. He quickly leaves the room to give us some time alone. I watch him leave before turning back to her with a questioning look.

"Pull your hat up so I can see your eyes babe," Ellie demands after the door is closed. I pull it off and she takes in the bandage.

"Plane crash," I explain. She takes a moment to process this.

"Did you really jump into the water from high up?"

"More like the walkway I was standing on fell out from under me."

"You and your father have a lot of explaining to do when you get home," she tells me jokingly. Her face turns serious before she continues. "When you called me mom, was that on purpose or did it just come out?"

"It just came out," I say immediately. I pause as I realize I replied without thinking.

"You seem shocked by your answer," Ellie surmises. Megan blows a raspberry and we both laugh at her. "Yes Megan sissy called me mom." Ellie states in her baby voice. This elicits giggles from the little girl. "Em, someone here wants to see you." She moves over as Mark takes a seat. I smile goofily in spite of myself.

"Hey, Em I'm glad you're okay."

"I don't think I could ever thank you enough," I reply gratefully.

"You can start by letting me take you out," he suggests. I look down at my leg.

"I don't know how good of company I'll be. I'll be pretty out of it for a while." He laughs and Ellie rolls her eyes.

"Okay, so we don't have to go out. I could come over and we could just hang out."

"I would love that." He gets up to leave before quickly turning back to the screen.

"So when I greet you when you get back, should I greet you as my best friend or my girlfriend?" he asks with a slight smirk.

"I'm pretty sure the answer is obvious," I reply sarcastically. He laughs before waving and heading off the screen. A man comes up and whispers in Ellie's ear.

"Em we have a few more minutes. Would you get your father back please?" I nod taking the crutches and head toward the door. "Oh, and Em," I turn back to the screen, "I love you."

"I love you too," a pause for a moment, "mom." She smiles.

"Megan, wave bye-bye to sissy." Megan waves and blows me a kiss. I wave and blow a kiss back.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

I find myself hovering outside of the infirmary. Finally, I force myself to enter. Billy's head turns my way and he smiles.

"Hey Em," his voice comes out as a soft whisper.

"Hey yourself," I slowly make my way to his bed side. "That was the most noble, heroic, and idiotic thing you have ever done." He laughs softly. "You didn't have to prove anything."

"Taking those eggs was a terrible idea. I was just trying to do something for someone other than myself."

"Well Mr. Brennan, I do declare your words have charmed me," I reply with a fake southern accent. "I wanted to apologize, anyway, for being so tough on you." He reaches his hand out and I take it.

"No apology, you were right." I lean forward and press a kiss to his forehead.

"Get some sleep." His eyes immediately close.

EGEGEGEGEGEG

Standing on the flight deck, I watch as the sun sinks under the horizon.

"Emily?" I hear my name faintly called in the distance. I turn to see Eric walking up to me.

"Hey Eric," I smile as he stops and looks out over the water.

"I heard Billy is going to be okay." I just nod my head. "Would it be okay if I called you?" I look over at him. "You know, to have someone other than my parents to talk to about this."

"Of course, I would like that," he smiles as he pulls out two slips of paper and a pen. We proceed to exchange numbers.

"Do you think you and your dad will write another book?" he asks after a few moments. I take a moment to think about this.

"Probably not, but I might write my dissertation about it." Eric laughs. We turn back and watch as the sun completely disappears into the water.


End file.
